Variable needle selecting means for knitting machines

ABSTRACT

Needle selecting means for the raising of selected needles of multi-feed circular knitting machines which includes, at each feed of the machine, a first plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise cams comprising a first group thereof and a second plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise cams comprising a second group thereof. The cams of the first group thereof act upon butts disposed at a like first plurality of levels on a first or upper portion of jack extensions of the needles and the cams of the second group thereof act upon butts disposed at a like second plurality of levels on a second or lower portion of the jack extensions of the needles. The two groups of cams are interchangeably moved into and out of needle raising position under the control of pattern mechanism of the machine whereby each of two individual patterns may be accordingly interchangeably placed in the fabric being made on the machine.

United States Patent Kawase et a1.

[54] VARIABLE NEEDLE SELECTING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES [73] Assignee: Precision Fukuhara Works, Ltd., Kobe,I-Iyogo, Japan 221 Filed: Jan. 12,1971

211 App1.No.: 105,838

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 21, 1970 Japan ..45/5577 [52] US. Cl. ..66/40, 66/57 [51] Int. Cl. ..D04b 15/32, D04b 15/68 [58] Field of Search ..66/38, 50 R, 36 A, 36 B, 75, 66/25, 57, 40

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,678,906 7/1928 Howie "66/25 X 2,096,217 10/1937 Vaughan, Jr. 2,269,398 1/1942 Preston ..66/50 R 3,234,760 2/ 1966 Azzolari ..66/57 3,252,305 5/1966 Noll ..66l57 UX 3,283,540 11/1966 Levin ..66/36 A 3,315,494 4/1967 Farmer ..66/50 R [451 Oct. 10,1972

3,460,160 8/ 1969 Sangiacomo ..66/50 B 3,641,786 2/ 1972 Burdett et a]. ..66/50 B 3,646,779 3/ 1972 Nuber et a1 ..66/25 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 480,477 12/ 1 969 Switzerland ..66/25 Primary Examiner-Wm. Carter Reynolds Attorney-Nathan Levin 57] ABSTRACT Needle selecting means for the raising of selected needles of multi-feed circular knitting machines which includes, at each feed of the machine, a first plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise cams comprising a first group thereof and a second plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise cams comprising a second group thereof. The cams of the first group thereof act upon butts disposed at a like first plurality of levels on a first or upper portion of jack extensions of the needles and the cams of the second group thereof act upon butts disposed at a like second plurality of levels on a second or lower portion of the jack extensions of the needles. The two groups of cams are interchangeably moved into and out of needle raising position under the control of pattern mechanism of the machine whereby each of two individual patterns may be accordingly interchangeably placed in the fabric being made on the machine.

3 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEDncI 10 I972 3.6 96,640

sum 1 or 3 3 C a 265 37 38 4O Fig-.4. Fig.5-

VARIABLE NEEDLE SELECTING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to needle selecting means for use upon circular knitting machines whereby selected ones of the needles are raised.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide needle selecting means for the raising of selected needles of multi-feed circular knitting machines from welt to latch clearing levels in two steps and for the retention of non-raised needles at welt level which includes, at each feed of the machine, a first plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise and guard cams comprising a first group thereof and a second plurality of vertically aligned separate level raise and guard cams comprising a second group thereof wherein the two groups of cams are interchangeably movable into and out of needle operating position. The cams of the first group act upon butts disposed at a like first plurality of levels on a first portion of jack extensions of the needles and the cams of the second group act upon butts disposed at a like second plurality of levels on a second portion of the jack extensions of the needles. The raise cams of each group thereof in needles operating position act upon individual jack butts of selected needles to raise the same, in the first step, a relatively short distance from welt level to a level at which the partially raised needles are then raised, in the second step, to latch clearing level by a needle raise cam acting upon common level butts of the needles, and the guard cams of each group thereof in needle operating position act upon individual jack butts of the non-raised needles to retain the same at welt level. It is a further object of the present invention to arrange the first and the second grou s of jack control cams in a common plane extending radially of the needle cylinder of the machine and to provide pattern controlled means to interchangeably move the two groups of cams radially of the needle cylinder into and out of needle operating position whereby each group of cams, in operating position, provides its own selection of the needles at each of the feeds of the machine.

With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention resides in the novel elements of construction and arrangement of parts of the interchangeable needle selecting means illustrated and as hereinafter particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a cam section of a circular knitting machine showing the upper and lower group of jack raise and guard cams of the present invention contained in the housing of a package thereof with the package itself positioned in the cam section and with the upper group of cams in needle operating position,

1 FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the cam section of FIG. 1 showing the means for interchangeably moving the two groups of jack control cams into and out of needle operating position,

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the cam section of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the disposition of the plurality of vertically aligned separate level jack raise and guard cams in both groups thereof and the relation thereto of the needle raise and guard earns,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cam section of FIG. 2

as taken on line 4-4 thereof showing the apparatus to interchangeably move the two groups of cams into and out of needle operating position and showing the lower group of cams out of needle operating position,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the lower group of cams in needle operating position,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the package itself containing the two groups of cams with the upper group of cams in needle operating position,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view as taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view as taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the lower group of cams in needle operating position,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a single cam block of the present invention showing the jack raise and guard cams extending from the opposite end faces thereof,

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the rocking lever used to interchangeably move the two groups of jack control cams into and out of needle operating position,

FIG. 12 is a view, partly in section, through the bed plate of the machine, showing the pattern controlled means to interchangeably move the two groups of cams,

FIG. 13 is a sectional view as taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12,

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing the relative disposition of the jack control cams of the two groups thereof, the needle raise and guard cams and the manner in which selected needles are raised,

FIG. 15 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 14 showing the manner in which non-raised needles are retained at welt level, and

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of representative needles of the present invention showing the butts on the needles and on the jack extensions of the needles.

The two groups of jack control cams of the present invention are contained in a unit package thereof as shown at 10 in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9. The package itself is shown secured in position in a cam section 11 of a multi-feed circular knitting machine in FIGS. 1 through 5. The cam section 11 is L-shaped with an upright portion 12 and a lower off set portion 13. The cam section 11 is secured in upright position upon the bed plate of the machine, adjacent its needle cylinder, by suitable screws (not shown) extending through a pair of circumferentially spaced holes 14, 14 formed in the off set portion 13 and into threaded engagement with the bed plate. It will be understood that there is a plurality of like cam sections 11 disposed in side by side relation to form the circular cam ring of the machine around its needle cylinder.

One lateral side face of the upright and off set portions 12 and 13 of section 11 is undercut to form a horizontally extending square bottomed channel therein, the bottom and side walls of which are indicated at 15, 16 and 17. The same face of section 11 is provided with horizontally extending upper and lower straps l8 and 19 secured on the face of the section adjacent the side walls 16 and 17. Screws 20 hold strap 19 in place with its upper edge 19a above the level of wall 17, the strap 19 having an abutment stop 19b at its inner end. Screws 21 hold strap 18 in place with its lower edge 18a aligned with the side wall 16, the strap 18 having an abutment stop 18b at its inner end. The package of jack control cams, to be described, is secured in place in the channel of section 11.

Each package is provided with a housing 22 of generally block-like shape of which one later side face is undercut to form a square bottomed channel extending horizontally across the housing, the bottom and side walls of the channel being indicated at 23, 24 and 25. Extending crosswise of the channel and spaced from the bottom 23 thereof is a key 26. The opposite ends of key 26 are disposed in vertical slots formed in the housing adjacent the walls 24 and 25 thereof. Key 26 is releaseably secured to the housing by screws 27 extending through holes formed in its end portions and into threaded engagement with the housing 22. The key 26 is of such thickness as to extend above the level of the adjoining surface of housing 22 and is of such length that its lower end 26a is short of the corresponding end of the housing. It will be noted that key 26, between the end portions thereof is of reduced width, as at 26b, for a purpose to be set forth.

Disposed within the channel in housing 22 and retained therein by key 26b are first and second vertically spaced groups of vertically aligned cam blocks 31. The first or upper group of cam blocks is indicated at 28 while the second or lower group thereof is indicated at 29, there being a fixed spacer block 30 between the two groups. The block 30 is also retained in the housing by the key 26b which fits snugly into a keyway formed in one side of the block 30. While six such cam blocks 31 are shown in each group thereof, it will be obvious that the number thereof in each group may be more or may be less.

As in FIG. 10, each cam block 31 is in the form of a relatively small rectangular block of which the opposite side faces have been cut out midway of their length to provide therein oppositely disposed keyways 31a and 31b. The key 26b is disposed in the keyways 31a of the two groups of cam blocks 31 and since the keyways 31a are approximately twice the width of key 26b it follows that each group of cam blocks 28 and 29 can be independently moved transversely of the key 26b. Each cam block 31 is provided with an angularly extending jack raise cam face 310 projecting from one end face thereof and with a horizontally extending jack guard cam 31d projecting from the opposite end face thereof. One surface of cam 31d is co-planar with one surface of cam block 31. lt will be obvious that, with temporary removal of key 26b, each of the blocks 31 may be reversely positioned, as may be desired, in the housing 22 with either the cam ends 310 or 31d projecting in needle operating position from the housing.

The keyways 31b of the two groups 28 and 29 of blocks 31 are adapted to fit snugly onto vertically extending keys 32a and 33a which project from the surface of independently movable rectangularly shaped plates 32 and 33. The blocks 31 of upper group 28 are keyed to upper plate 32 while blocks 31 of lower group 29 are keyed to lower plate 33. The plates are positioned in the bottom of the housing channel where they are spaced by the block 30 and where they are independently slidable lengthwise of the channel with their key sides up. Plate 32 is between wall face 24 and one side of block 30 while plate 33 is between wall face 25 and the opposite side of block 30. The plates 32 and 33 are interchangeably moved, by means to be set forth, between their positions of FIGS. 6 and 9, so that the groups of earns 28 and 29 which are keyed thereto, are accordingly interchangeably moved into and out of operating position.

A pin 34 is secured in and extends upwardly from plate 32 and the head of screw 35 similarly extend upwardly from plate 33. The screw 35 extends through a hole in plate 33 into threaded engagement with a block 36 positioned against the underside of the plate 33, the block 36 also being secured to the plate 33 by pins 37, 37 extending therethrough. The bottom of the housing channel is cut out to permit the block 35 to be so secured to the plate 33 and to permit it to be moved, as will be set forth. The pin 34 fits into a slot 38a formed in one end of a lever 38, FIG. 11, while the head of screw 35 fits into a slot 38b formed in the opposite end of the lever. The lever 38 is pivotally mounted upon a pin shaft 39 which extends through a central aperture 380 in the lever. The pin 39 is shouldered and extends through housing 22 and through a strap 40 which extends crosswise of the channel and which is secured at its opposite ends to the housing 22 by screws 40 a. A flat spring 41 is set into a cut out 42 in strap 40 and a screw 43 extends through a central hole in spring 41 into threaded engagement with the end of pin shaft 39. Disposed under the opposite ends of spring 41 are small detent balls 44, 44 which extend through apertures in the-bottom of cut out 42 and into engagement with appro'priately placed depressions 44a, 44a formed in the surface of lever 38. When screw 43 is tightened, it not only holds pin shaft 39 in place but also causes spring blade 41 to exert pressure upon the detents 44 of which one or the other is seated in one or the other of depressions 44a of the lever 38 depending upon its angular position thereby to frictionally hold the lever in such position.

The lever 38 is turned, at times, between its two positions by means including the block 36 which is provided with an open ended slot 45 on its underside. Fitting into the slot 45 is a pin 46 which is secured in and extends upwardly from one end of a horizontally extending pivotally mounted arm 47. The arm 47 is provided at its opposite end with a suitable aperture by means of which it is journalled upon a vertically extending shaft 48 which in turn extends upwardly from and is journalled in a suitable aperture extending through the off set 13 of cam section 11. A second arm 49 is apertured at one end thereof to be placed on the shaft, above the arm 47, and fastened thereto by a pin 50 extending through arm 49 and shaft 48. The opposite end of arm 49 is suitably apertured to permit a screw 51 to pass therethrough and into threaded engagement with the arm 47. With screw 51 in the position shown, movement of shaft 48 will result in movement of arm 47, however, with the removal of screw 51, movement of shaft 48 will not cause movement of arm 47. When arm 47 is turned to its two positions of FIGS. 4 and 5, it acts through pin 46 and block 36 to slide lower place 33 back and forth. At the same time, the head of screw 35 of plate 33 in slot 38b causes lever 38 to turn and lever 38 through pin 34 of plate 32 in its slot 38a, causes plate 32 to also slide back and forth. As the plates 32 and 33 are moved, so also are their associated groups of cams 28 and 29 moved therewith.

face, is rocked by the means shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

Journalled in and extending below fixed bed plate 52 of the machine under each cam section 11 is a shouldered pin 53 the upper face of which is provided with a key 53a extending above the bed plate, to fit into keyway 48a of shaft 48. A cam 54 having tapered sides 54a and 54b is suitably apertured at its narrow end to fixedly receivetherein the lower end of pin 53 which is suitably secured to the cam 54 by being pinned thereto. Vertically movable in a member 55, which revolves around the machine beneath bed plate 52, is a pair of radially spaced pins 56 and 57. The member 55 may be secured to or may be formed integrally with the revolving ring gear used to rotate the needle cylinder. The pins 56 and 57 are interchangeably moved into and out of their full and dotted line positions of FIG. 12 so that when pin 56 is in its full line operating position to engage face 54a of cam 54, pin 57 is in its full line idle position wherein it is toolow to engage the cam 54, and when pin 57 is in its dotted line operative position, FIG. 12, to engage cam face 54b of cam 54, pin 56 is in its dotted line idle position wherein it is too low to engage the cam 54.

As in FIG. 13, pin 56 in raised operative position (with pin 57 in lowered inoperative position) will engage the cam faces of the cams 54 at each feed of the machine (with the cams in their dotted line positions) and will move the cams to their full line positions. Similarly, the pin 57 in raised operative position (with pin 56 in lowered inoperative position) will engage the cam faces 54b of the earns 54 at each feed of the machine (with the cams in their full line positions) and will move the cams to their dotted line positions. Such movement of the cams 54 will, through the mechanisms above described, cause the groups of control cams 28 and 29, at each feed of the machine, to be interchangeably moved into and out of operating position. A suitable chain controlled pattern mechanism, at a fixed place around the machine, may be provided to interchangeably place the pins 56 and 57 in their operative and idle positions, at such times as may be desired, such mechanism being of the general type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,790.

The cam package is positioned in the channel of cam section 11 with the uncut sides of housing 22 adjacent the bottom 15 and side walls 16 and 17 of the section 11. The lower end of package 10 is between bottom 15 of the cam section 11 and the inner face of extension 19a of strap 19, with the end 26a of key 26 atop and aligned with the strap 19. Edge 18a of strap 18 is atop and aligned with the upper end of key 26. The inward position of cam package 10 is determined by contact with abutment stops 19b of strap 19 and 18b of strap 18. The package itself is held in place by a pair of shoulder screws 58, 58 extending through suitable spaced apertures in the bottom of housing 22, below plates 32 and 33, and into threaded engagement with the upright portion 12 of cam section 11. Conversely, if desired, the cam package 10 may be held in place by having the shouldered screws 58, 58 extend through suitable apertures formed in the upright portion 12 of section 11 and into threaded engagement with the housing 22.

The face of cam section 1 1 is provided with a needle raise cam 59 held in place in a horizontal slot in the cam section by a screw 59a extending through the section and into threaded engagement with the cam 59. It is also provided with a needle guard cam 60 held in place by one or more screws 60a in threaded engagement with the section 11. The cams 59 and 60 are disposed above the upper group of cams 28 and are spaced to provide a passageway therebetween for the restricted passage therethrough of the needle butts of needles which are not raised and which remain at welt level.

In FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, the disposition of the jack raise cams 310, the jack guard cams 31d, the needle raise cam 59, and the needle guard cam are shown in relation to each other and to the disposition of the butts on the jacks and on the needles. The jack raise and guard cams are the jack control cams. In FIG. 14, the cams of group 28 are in operating position while the cams of group 29 are in idle position, whereas, in FIG. 15, the cams of group 28 are in idle position while the cams of group 29 are in operating position. Three representative latch needles to be used. in the present invention in combination with the jack control cams and the needle control cams are shown at 61, 62 and 63. Each needle shank is provided with a long tail extension or jack as at 61a, 62a and 63a. Each needle shank itself is provided with common level spaced butts 64 and 65 of which butt 64 is to be acted upon by the needle raise cam 59 and of which both butts 64 and 65 are to be acted upon by a compound stitch cam (not shown) to lower the raised needles. The jack portions 61a, 62a and 63a of the needles are provided with selecting butts 66 and 66a, 67 and 67a, and 68 and 68a, respectively, of which the butts 66, 67 and 68 are disposed at each of three separate upper levels on the upper portions of the jacks and of which the butts 66a, 67a and 68a are disposed at each of three separate lower levels on the lower portions of the jacks. While the spacing shown between each pair of jack butts on each jack is uniform, it will be understood that the invention is not so limited and that other non-uniform spacings of the jack butts may be used on selected jacks. Inasmuch as there are six levels of the jack control cams in each group 28 and 29 thereof, the circle of needles, in toto, in the machine will have jack butts disposed at two spaced groups of six separate upper and lower levels on the jack portions thereof for operation by the 12 jack control cams of the two groups 28 and 29 thereof. When a needle is raised from its welt level by the action of a jack raise cam 31c on its jack selecting butt, it is raised to a level at which its butt 64 is thereafter acted upon by cam 59 to raise the needle to its full latch clearing level. The needles will be set out in the cylinder slots with their jack selecting butts arranged according to a pair of pre-determined patterns of their upper and lower jack butts, and the arrangement of the cam blocks 31 in each cam group 28 and 29, at each feed of the machine, will also be according to a pair of pre-determined patterns. Each cam block 31 will have either its cam 31c or 31d in operative position.

As in FIG. 14, the top level jack selecting butt 66 of needle 61 is raised by the corresponding top level jack raise cam 31c of group 28 to raise the jack and needle to the level at which butt 64 of the needle is raised above the leading end of cam 59 whereby the cam face 59b of cam 59 will then further raise the needle to full latch clearing level. The cam 310 is shown in dotted lines at the leading end of cam 59 to show how these two cams cooperate upon the jack butt 66 and the needle butt 64 to raise the needle 61. Similar needle raising takes place at each level there is a jack raising cam 31c and a jack selecting butt on the jack portion of the needles.

As in FIG. 15, the top level jack control cam of group 29 is a guard cam 31d and at this level on the jack 61a of needle 61 there is a jack selecting butt 66a. This needle is selected so as not to be raised at the feed of FIG.

15, and it is desired that the needle 61 be positively retained in lowered welt position so as not to take the yarn and so that its butt 64 will not hit the leading end of cam 59 to cause damage to the machine. To this end butt 66a is caused to pass under the cam 31d and such action causes the needle butt 64 to pass under raise cam 59 and to pass between cam 59 and guard cam 60 into and along the passageway defined by cam faces 59a and 60a. The leading ends of cam 31d and of guard cam 60 are ahead of cam 59 so that the action of cams 31d and 60 on butts 66a and 64, respectively, is such that the needle 61 is securely positioned by the cams 31d and 60 at the time needle butt 64 enters the path between cams 59 and 60. The cam 31d is shown in dotted lines at the leading end of cam 59 to show how the needles are kept at welt level. It will be noted that the leading edges of cams 31d are downwardly angles to act upon the top edges of the jack selecting butts to accordingly lower the jacks and their related needles, as may be required.

It will be understood that while the action of the jack guard cams does not in itself provide for the selective raising of the needles, still it is a valuable adjunct thereto in that it retains the non-raised needles positively in their welt position. It will also be noted that since the jack raise cams act to raise the selected needles a relatively short distance and that the needle raise cam does the bulk of the needle raising, it is thereby possible to have a relatively large number of jack control cams in a relatively small space to provide a relatively large pattern selecting capacity for the machine, which in this case comprises a pair of individual patterns which are interchangeable in the fabric being made under control of the pattern chain. It is also possible thereby to provide a package of jack control cams of relatively small size and to make such packages interchangeable in the cam sections of multi-feed circular knitting machines.

We claim:

1. Needle selecting means for circular knitting machines of the type having a slotted needle cylinder, a circle of latch needles disposed in and movable vertically of said needle slots, and a cam ring around said cylinder and revolving relative thereto, said needles having jacks operatively related thereto to so move said needles, said jacks also being disposed in and movable vertically of said needle slots, said jacks having a first series of control butts disposed thereon at a first plurality of butt levels and having a second series of control butts disposed thereon at a second plurality of butt levels, at least one of said cam sections having a first and a second group of jack control cams disposed thereon, the jack control cams of said first group thereof including jack raise cams and being operatively related to said first series of jack control butts at said first plurality of butt levels to raise said jacks and said needles, the jack control cams of said second group thereof also including jack raise cams and being operatively related to said second series of jack control butts at said second plurality of butt levels to also raise said jacks and said needles, the jack control cams of said first group thereof being fixedly disposed as a unit to provide a first package of cams and the jack control cams of said second group thereof also being fixedly disposed as a unit to provide a second package of cams, each of said cam packages having a single operative position and having a single inoperative position in the former of which the jack control cams of an operatively positioned cam package are operatively related to its related series of said jack butts and in the latter of which the jack control cams of an inoperatively positioned cam package are inoperatively related to its related series of said jack butts, each of the jack control cams of said cam packages comprising a rectangularly shaped cam block having one of said jack control cams at an end face thereof, each of said cam blocks of each of said cam packages having a keyway formed in one of its sides, said cam blocks of each of said cam packages being arranged with their said keyways aligned, said section having a key loosely fitting into said keyways in said cam blocks in each of said cam packages whereby said cam packages are each moveable transversely of said key into and out of their said positions, and means to interchangeably position said cam packages in their said operative and said inoperative positions in such manner that when one of said cam packages is in its operative position the other of said cam packages is in its inoperative position thereby to provide continuous needle selection by the action of one or of the other of said cam packages.

2. Needle selecting means as in claim 1 wherein said first cam package is provided with a first cam plate upon which its said jack control cams are removeably attached in fixed relation thereto and to each other, wherein said second cam package is provided with a second cam plate upon which its jack control cams are removeably attached in fixed relation thereto and to each other, wherein said key is removeably attached to said cam section, wherein said key commonly maintains said jack control cams of each of said cam packages thereof in their said positions upon their said cam plates, said means acting to interchangeably position said cam plates toward and away from said cylinder and thereby to interchangeably position said cam packages into and out of their said operative and inoperative positions.

3. Needle selecting means as in claim 2 which includes a cam housing, said housing having an open sided channel therein, wherein said cam packages are arranged in said channel with their cam plates positioned on the bottom side of said channel and with their keyways extending crosswise thereof, wherein said key is removeably attached to and extends crosswise of said 

1. Needle selecting means for circular knitting machines of the type having a slotted needle cylinder, a circle of latch needles disposed in and movable vertically of said needle slots, and a cam ring around said cylinder and revolving relative thereto, said needles having jacks operatively related thereto to so move said needles, said jacks also being disposed in and movable vertically of said needle slots, said jacks having a first series of control butts disposed thereon at a first plurality of butt levels and having a second series of control butts disposed thereon at a second plurality of butt levels, at least one of said cam sections having a first and a second group of jack control cams disposed thereon, the jack control cams of said first group thereof including jack raise cams and being operatively related to said first series of jack control butts at said first plurality of butt levels to raise said jacks and said needles, the jack control cams of said second group thereof also including jack raise cams and being operatively related to said second series of jack control butts at said second plurality of butt levels to also raise said jacks and said needles, the jack control cams of said first group thereof being fixedly disposed as a unit to provide a first package of cams and the jack control cams of said second group thereof also being fixedly disposed as a unit to provide a second package of cams, each of said cam packages having a single operative position and having a single inoperative position in the former of which the jack control cams of an operatively positioned cam package are operatively related to its related series of said jack butts and in the latter of which the jack control cams of an inoperatively positioned cam package are inoperatively related to its related series of said jack butts, each of the jack control cams of said cam packages comprising a rectangularly shaped cam block having one of said jack control cams at an end face thereof, each of said cam blocks of each of said cam packages having a keyway formed in one of its sides, said cam blocks of each of said cam packages being arranged with their said keyways aligned, said section having a key loosely fitting into said keyways in said cam blocks in each of said cam packages whereby said cam packages are each moveable transversely of said key into and out of their said positions, and means to interchangeably position said cam pAckages in their said operative and said inoperative positions in such manner that when one of said cam packages is in its operative position the other of said cam packages is in its inoperative position thereby to provide continuous needle selection by the action of one or of the other of said cam packages.
 2. Needle selecting means as in claim 1 wherein said first cam package is provided with a first cam plate upon which its said jack control cams are removeably attached in fixed relation thereto and to each other, wherein said second cam package is provided with a second cam plate upon which its jack control cams are removeably attached in fixed relation thereto and to each other, wherein said key is removeably attached to said cam section, wherein said key commonly maintains said jack control cams of each of said cam packages thereof in their said positions upon their said cam plates, said means acting to interchangeably position said cam plates toward and away from said cylinder and thereby to interchangeably position said cam packages into and out of their said operative and inoperative positions.
 3. Needle selecting means as in claim 2 which includes a cam housing, said housing having an open sided channel therein, wherein said cam packages are arranged in said channel with their cam plates positioned on the bottom side of said channel and with their keyways extending crosswise thereof, wherein said key is removeably attached to and extends crosswise of said channel, wherein said cam packages are interchangeably movable lengthwise of said channel, wherein a lateral side face of said cam section is provided with an open sided channel, and wherein said cam housing is removeably positioned in said last named channel. 